Sasquatch to the Moon

43: Voicemails and Jet Lag

content warning: mention of apartment fire

Edit 5/25: a series of one liners about viking era sexuality because I'm a massive nerd

MILOŠ

The Czech Republic is just about as interesting as when I left it. Jan and I spent all morning scrimmaging at the hockey rink I grew up in, I got to sign a jersey and hang it up on the wall to be a sort of testament to the rink of "hey we raised a pro player" all that.

There's just something missing about all of it, I've got my dad, he's nice but quieter, I've got Rey and that's really what started this.

I know Håkon's on the plane.

I know I know I know he's on the plane and he needs time to go home and breathe and collect himself.

But as I back myself into the pillows set up in this bed already, I'm like 99% sure he's one of the things that's missing. Him and the hollow wood smell he has. I feel like he would really round out everything right now.

That and my mother. However she would be an absolute atomic bomb to bring into this situation. I love her dearly but my father would not survive.

HÅKON

I turn my phone back on again after landing, the sweetest and most adorable voicemail dropping into my inbox as I do.

I walk up the ramp, jetlagged as hell, exhausted, all that, it's midmorning but it feels like late afternoon but it doesn't really matter.

"Hi Håkon," his voice is a little tinny over my earbuds. "It's late here and I should be asleep, in fact I'm pretty sure I'm gonna regret sending you this on account of how delirious I am. You were right, I sunburned a little. But I love you, so much." He yawns on the other side in the recording. "Mmm and right now I miss you because you'd cuddle with me in this little bed no matter how cramped it is and I'd be able to snuggle into your chest and call it a night and fall asleep because you'd be there. It's almost pitiful how attached I am to you but that's what you get, you let me fall for you and now you've got all of me, all the weird clinginess on top of it. I miss you." there's a slow breath. "M'gonna go to sleep, get yourself some rest and you know where I keep my spare key if you need to get into my apartment for whatever reason. Mhmm, nevermind, go get yourself a fresh hoodie if you have the energy, the Boston one has to be gross by now. And then sleep and have some coffee and some Advil and then get on those workouts. I wanna come home and get my ass whipped by you because you're ahead of me in workouts already." There's another yawn. "Also I like your thighs."

I turn a little red in the airport terminal, walking my way toward baggage claim.

"Anyway," he drawls out. "I love you, I love you, I love you, go take care of yourself, be good, be nice to yourself, I love you. I'm so fucking tired oh my god. I love you, again, good night."

I play it again before getting home.

And then I triple check that it's in the save category and not the auto-delete one.

And then I get my exhausted body over to the rink for what's about to be one of the worst workouts of my career.

It does turn out to be one of the worst ones ever. My arms are jello after one full set through all my exercises which is awful because normally I can get through three. My legs are a slight bit better but I blame that on Milo entirely.

I'm halfway through a set when the door opens.

"You're back," It's Paxton, not who I was expecting, but I guess it's better than Ukko.